Boca leads league after beating Estudiantes

Boca Juniors took the lead in Argentina’s first division with a 3-0 victory over Estudiantes on Sunday.

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Santiago Silva opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Pablo Ledesma doubled the lead in the 24th and Pablo Mouche slotted the third goal from inside the square in the 68th.

Boca improved to 17 points from eight matches, one point clear of Newell’s and two ahead of Velez Sarsfield, Arsenal and Estudiantes.

In other matches Sunday, Arsenal defeated All Boys 2-0, Velez Sarsfield beat San Lorenzo 2-0, San Martin and Colon drew 2-2, and Maximiliano Urruti and Pablo Perez’s scored for Newell’s Old Boys in a 2-0 win over Racing.

Boca silenced the home crowd at Estudiantes with a ninth-minute goal by Uruguay’s Silva, his first goal since joining the Buenos Aires club several months ago.

Silva took a long throw-in from Juan Sanchez Minho and fired his shot inside the far post from 12 meters.

Ledesma’s long-range shot followed a counterattack just seconds after Boca keeper Agustin Orion had made a leaping save on Estudiantes’ Gaston Fernandez.

Estudiantes’ best chance in the first half came in the 35th with Juan Sebastian Veron lofting a free kick just over the crossbar.

Boca started the match without playmaking midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who injured his right ankle last week in a 2-0 victory over fellow Argentine club Arsenal in the Copa Libertadores.

In Arsenal’s victory on Sunday, Gustavo Blanco Leschuk scored in the 22nd and Diego Torres added another in the 63rd.

Velez Sarsfield got its goals from Alejandro Cabral in the seventh and Ivan Bella in the 83rd.

Marcelo Carrusca and Roberval scored for San Martin, with Colon’s two goals by Ernesto Chevanton and Leandro Gonzalez.